Finding the Best Places to Retire Since 2006!
Retire in Edwardsville, Illinois?
Overview: Edwardsville is a friendly, well-maintained town in southwestern Illinois, just 25 miles outside of St. Louis, Missouri. It is home to Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (15,000 students), which has a beautiful, shaded campus.
The city is one of the oldest in Illinois and boasts a nice historic downtown and tree-lined neighborhoods. Many homes date from the 19th century and early-20th century. Locals enjoy craft fairs, wine tastings and a very successful farmer's market that brings together artists, farmers and food producers from across southern Illinois. The city also has the highest concentration of retail shops in the area and a transit system with buses and scenic bicycle paths that links neighborhoods, schools, parks, shops and local restaurants. The Edwardsviille Art Center has exhibits and classes, and the university offers a non-credit program called Lifelong Learners that is open to everyone.
Population: 25,000 (city proper)
Age 45 or Better: 32%
Cost of Living: 5% below the national average
Median Home Price: $220,000
Climate: Summers are hot and humid with temperatures in the 80s and 90s. Winter are cold and humid with temperatures in the teens, 20s and 30s, and skies are often overcast. The area receives, on average, 15 inches of rain and 39 inches of snow each year.
Public Transit: Yes
Crime Rate: Below the national average
At Least One Hospital Accepts Medicare Patients? No, but Anderson Hospital in Maryville, about five miles away, accepts Medicare patients.
At Least One Hospital Accredited by Joint Commission? No, but Anderson Hospital in Maryville, about five miles away, is accredited.
Public Library: Yes
Political Leanings: Split down the middle
College Educated: 52%
Is Illinois Considered Tax Friendly for Retirement? Somewhat
Cons: The tornado risk is 175% higher than the national average.
Notes: The university is not known as a party school. Edwardsville has grown by 6% within the last decade.
Recommended as a Retirement Spot? Yes
Illinois:
The land that is present day Illinois became a part of Britain after the French and Indian Wars in the mid-1700s. It joined the Union in 1818 and watched its fortunes grow as its leading city, Chicago, became an important transportation hub. Immigrants from around the world came to the city to work in its lumber mills, slaughterhouses and shipping docks.
While northern Illinois is dominated by Chicago and its surrounding suburbs, the middle section of the state is primarily prairie and dotted with small towns and cities. Southern Illinois has a more rugged topography and is home to Carbondale and Marion, a sizable population center.
The Lincoln-Douglas debates, between Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas and Republican newcomer Abraham Lincoln, occured throughout Illinois in 1858.
A fire started in Catherine O'Leary's barn in 1871 and soon became the Great Chicago Fire. Most buildings were made of wood at the time, and the flames devoured 18,000 of them, killing nearly 300 people.
The world's first ferris wheel debuted at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Nearly 40% of the country's population attended the six-month event.
During Prohibition Chicago became the capital of bootleg liquor and home to gangster Al Capone.
The Great Flood of 1993 flooded towns and farmland all along the Mississippi River.
Chicago's Willis Tower, previously known as the Sears Tower, is the tallest building in North America.
Stats:
Population - 12,830,798
Persons 65 years old and over - 13%
High school graduates, age 25+ - 87%
Bachelor's degree or higher, age 25+ - 32%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin - 17%
White persons, not Hispanic - 62%
Median household income - $57,329
Median home value - $173,433
Social Security Taxed - No
Source: U.S. Census
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